You pick the parchment up from underneath Torchic's scrawny little legs and read aloud:

In the land of Koros, with sky of gold,
the wind carries whispers of a tale of old.
'Tis the tale of the labyrinth, the lair of the beast,
and the poor helpless souls who wind up as its feast.

Young traveler, welcome to the Labyrinth of Koros. Within these walls sleeps a horrible beast, a giant great and powerful. The blood of the Ancients courses through its terrible veins. It is the one called the Krakikron. You stand no chance against it. And now that you are here, it is only a matter of time before he awakens to your presence and seeks you out. Your only chance for survival is to find a way to escape from this maze. But how? That is the challenge presented before you.

You can't believe what you've just read. You read the letter again and again just to be sure you're not imagining things, just to be certain there isn't any more to the letter than what is written. "This can't be it," you moan in despair. You still don't understand how you got here in the first place or why. And now according to this letter you're trapped inside some sort of ancient maze ... along with a terrible beast!?

Torchic nuzzles up against your leg, startling you. When you look down to see who the culprit was, you breath an audible sigh of relief. You roll the parchment up and place it in your rucksack.

You walk up the stone steps and are now on top of the pedestal-monument. The great stone slab is now before you and you can clearly see four hollowed-out concavities in its surface:

You don't know what they represent but you're sure they must mean something.

Looking around, you see four exits from the clearing. There is the path you just came from; on the opposite side lies a similar path. To your left and to your right you can also see paths leading away from the clearing. From here, they all look roughly the same. You've no idea which one leads north or which one leads south: you don't have a compass nor can you see any sun in the sky by which to navigate. You'll just have to figure something out.

And speaking of directions, what did the letter mean anyway? The fires of Elshep? The waters of Hygros? These are names you've never heard of. And a "Krakikron"? Just what on earth is a Krakikron supposed to be!? You suddenly realize that you hope you never have to find out.

For this adventure, I will give you a special inventory we'll call your FFA Inventory. It will hold any and all key items which you may gain during this adventure. Do NOT edit your registration post to contain any of these items! I will keep track of what items you have on you and will repost the inventory list at the bottom of each new update.

Also, from now on, please link to your FB Registration post the same way you ordinarily would for a real zone update. It'll make it easier for me to confirm who all you have and what all they're capable of so that I can make appropriate challenges. Thanks. =)

Last edited by Talon87; 07-13-2012 at 09:16 PM.
Reason: edited the Exit advice because I just said you don't know the directions yet, lol ^^;

You pick the parchment up from underneath Torchic's scrawny little legs and read aloud:

In the land of Koros, with sky of gold,
the wind carries whispers of a tale of old.
'Tis the tale of the labyrinth, the lair of the beast,
and the poor helpless souls who wind up as its feast.

Young traveler, welcome to the Labyrinth of Koros. Within these walls sleeps a horrible beast, a giant great and powerful. The blood of the Ancients courses through its terrible veins. It is the one called the Krakikron. You stand no chance against it. And now that you are here, it is only a matter of time before he awakens to your presence and seeks you out. Your only chance for survival is to find a way to escape from this maze. But how? That is the challenge presented before you.

You can't believe what you've just read. You read the letter again and again just to be sure you're not imagining things, just to be certain there isn't any more to the letter than what is written. "This can't be it," you moan in despair. You still don't understand how you got here in the first place or why. And now according to this letter you're trapped inside some sort of ancient maze ... along with a terrible beast!?

Torchic nuzzles up against your leg, startling you. When you look down to see who the culprit was, you breath an audible sigh of relief. You roll the parchment up and place it in your rucksack.

You walk up the stone steps and are now on top of the pedestal-monument. The great stone slab is now before you and you can clearly see four hollowed-out concavities in its surface:

You don't know what they represent but you're sure they must mean something.

Looking around, you see four exits from the clearing. There is the path you just came from; on the opposite side lies a similar path. To your left and to your right you can also see paths leading away from the clearing. From here, they all look roughly the same. You've no idea which one leads north or which one leads south: you don't have a compass nor can you see any sun in the sky by which to navigate. You'll just have to figure something out.

And speaking of directions, what did the letter mean anyway? The fires of Elshep? The waters of Hygros? These are names you've never heard of. And a "Krakikron"? Just what on earth is a Krakikron supposed to be!? You suddenly realize that you hope you never have to find out.

For this adventure, I will give you a special inventory we'll call your FFA Inventory. It will hold any and all key items which you may gain during this adventure. Do NOT edit your registration post to contain any of these items! I will keep track of what items you have on you and will repost the inventory list at the bottom of each new update.

Also, from now on, please link to your FB Registration post the same way you ordinarily would for a real zone update. It'll make it easier for me to confirm who all you have and what all they're capable of so that I can make appropriate challenges. Thanks. =)

((Alright, no problem. Thank you. ^^))

Alice read the parchment over and over again, repeatedly and more in depth each time. If she didn't escape this living nightmare, something big and scary and supposedly unbeatable was going to eat her. Her heart raced and stomach sunk as a feeling of defeat washed over her. She was screwed.

Torchic nuzzled her in an attempt at comfort, but the motion only made her yelp initially, and the teenager jammed a pasty hand over glossed lips as the sound echoed. They didn't have much time. Silence and stealth was key.

"Right," The girl said, scaling the monument and taking everything in before packing that lovely letter away. "I don't want to go north or south. I don't need warming up, and I don't need to fucking relax when something is going to devour me. So, east or west. Being guided and concealed sounds cool to me right now." The trainer explained in hope that the bird might be able to advise her somehow. So, let's see..." Shielding her eyes, Alice looked at the positioning of the sun in the sky. "It rises in the east and sets in the west. It's twilight, so..."

Using a hand, she followed the sun to the exit which she hoped corresponded best to it. Even if Alice had a compass, her uselessness with simple tasks (as opposed to complex one - awkwardly) and geography in general would have hindered her anyway. "We'll go this way. Come on, my little mister," Sliding carefully from the monument, the trainer headed from the exit which she thought was west. If it wasn't, hopefully it was east. If not either...

TheLabyrinth of KorosMeetan: The promise of concealment sounds great to you right about now so you decide to make a break for the west. But just which way is west anyway? You look up at the sky and try to place the sun. But you can't seem to find it: the swimming colors of gold and pink in the sky above flood it so completely that neither sun nor moon can be seen. Wait a minute! You think you just saw the sun peeking out from behind one of the globs of golden vapor ... maybe? Possibly? With nothing more to go off of than your gut, you trace a finger from where you think you just spotted the sun and bring it down to the tops of the walls of the labyrinth. And then identifying which of the four paths is closest to where your finger is pointing ...

"We'll go this way. Come on, my little mister." And so saying, you and Torchic head off towards the exit straight ahead of you.

You walk about 10 meters in before coming to a sudden stop. Torchic comes to a stop too and looks up at you, sad or concerned. You twist your body around and look one last time at the clearing. You're anxious about leaving it out of sight. But you don't have anything you could use to trace your steps. "If only I had a Flying-type Pokemon," you think to yourself, but there's no point in worrying about that now: according to that letter there's some thing called a Krakikron that's trapped in this maze with you ... and if you don't find a way out fast, you're going to wind up being its next meal. And so you twist your body back around, take a deep breath, and plunge further on down the path.

Eventually you come to a wall. The only real way you can go here is to the left and so you do. You walk for a minute or so before you come face to face with another wall, though this time there's a path opening to the right. You move on in this manner for several minutes, sometimes taking a left, other times taking a right, before finally reaching an enormous bronze double-leaf door. It reaches as high as the labyrinth walls themselves, a good 4.5 meters off the ground, and while you can't see how thick it is yet, you have a suspicion that it's preeeetty darn thick. The metal has oxidized with time, turning a dark chalky green color, but in the center of the door is a lustrous blue diamond. As you move closer, you notice that there is some engraving at the base of the door. It reads:

"To pass through this door, you must shower
the Child of Hygros with gifts most becoming to Him."

TheLabyrinth of KorosMeetan: The promise of concealment sounds great to you right about now so you decide to make a break for the west. But just which way is west anyway? You look up at the sky and try to place the sun. But you can't seem to find it: the swimming colors of gold and pink in the sky above flood it so completely that neither sun nor moon can be seen. Wait a minute! You think you just saw the sun peeking out from behind one of the globs of golden vapor ... maybe? Possibly? With nothing more to go off of than your gut, you trace a finger from where you think you just spotted the sun and bring it down to the tops of the walls of the labyrinth. And then identifying which of the four paths is closest to where your finger is pointing ...

"We'll go this way. Come on, my little mister." And so saying, you and Torchic head off towards the exit straight ahead of you.

You walk about 10 meters in before coming to a sudden stop. Torchic comes to a stop too and looks up at you, sad or concerned. You twist your body around and look one last time at the clearing. You're anxious about leaving it out of sight. But you don't have anything you could use to trace your steps. "If only I had a Flying-type Pokemon," you think to yourself, but there's no point in worrying about that now: according to that letter there's some thing called a Krakikron that's trapped in this maze with you ... and if you don't find a way out fast, you're going to wind up being its next meal. And so you twist your body back around, take a deep breath, and plunge further on down the path.

Eventually you come to a wall. The only real way you can go here is to the left and so you do. You walk for a minute or so before you come face to face with another wall, though this time there's a path opening to the right. You move on in this manner for several minutes, sometimes taking a left, other times taking a right, before finally reaching an enormous bronze double-leaf door. It reaches as high as the labyrinth walls themselves, a good 4.5 meters off the ground, and while you can't see how thick it is yet, you have a suspicion that it's preeeetty darn thick. The metal has oxidized with time, turning a dark chalky green color, but in the center of the door is a lustrous blue diamond. As you move closer, you notice that there is some engraving at the base of the door. It reads:

"To pass through this door, you must shower
the Child of Hygros with gifts most becoming to Him."

What do you make of this? What do you plan to do?

Pokémon in the area:
none that you can see or hear

FFA Inventory:
x1 parchment

Alice followed the pathways as best she could, a little unsure of herself. The closest thing she had to a flying Pokemon was Torchic, and whilst he had a pretty nifty Bounce attack, that was not the same as sustained flight. Murmuring her regret at this, she continued on, hoping that her steps could be retraced if necessary.

"A door... Good luck bashing through that thing." The adventurer murmured, running the pad of her index finger over the blue diamond, admiring the way it caught the light. If she could somehow rip it out, and escape, that thing would get her a lot of coins for the exchange! "Oh, look at this! ... Shower with gifts, huh? Well."

After reading the engraving, Alice felt around for a certain Poke Ball, unclipping it from her bag. "Bagon, you're the best thing we've got here! Give this a light Hydro Pump!" She called, watching as he was released a short distance away. Both she and Torchic threw themselves against the sides as the dragon readied his attack, firing the closest thing to a shower they had: a jet stream of water, a little powered down at his trainer's request.

"It's either here, or one of those statues we have to shower. But if we have to trail all the way back..." Alice contemplated miserably, sighing and hoping for the best.

"Hmmm, which way should I go from here...? Gaspard, what do you think?"

Connor had been looking at the map he was holding for a while now. He didn't know where exactly he wanted to go today in this huge city. Plus the fact that he often gets lost due to his poor sense of direction, the photographer was literally going in circles, not aware of the fact that he been walking on the same road for the seventh time in a row now this morning. Gaspard, who was holding on to Connor's shoulder as usual, looked at the map and shrugged at his trainer, "Aipom, aipopom," he simply just said, having no clue as to where to go next either. Connor sighed. "Man, this place is so big... there's also so many things to do here and loads of places to take good photos too... I don't know where to start!" he said to his partner. Connor then folded his map, and tucked it away in his bag, proving it to be useless to him.

"Well, no matter. Let's just look around shall we, Gaspard? It's not like we're in a hurry anyway," he said to his Aipom who nodded and gave him his signature toothy grin, "Ai-ai!" and thus the duo continued on into the big city, hopefully finding something interesting to do.

TheLabyrinth of KorosMeetan: The blue diamond is massive. Inlaid six or seven feet above the ground, it's several feet tall: if you stretch out your arm, you might be able to touch the bottom of the diamond with your fingertips. Mesmerized by its beauty, you do exactly that. The diamond is cool to the touch, slick, solid. You can't help but to wonder as to its market value. You've never seen something quite like this before. But your thoughts of ripping the diamond out of its casing and selling it on the outside are rudely punctured by the reality of your current situation: you're trapped inside of a maze with a man-eating beast. You don't exactly have the means or the time by which to pry the diamond out, much less lug it around with you all over the labyrinth. Sobered by these thoughts, you take a second look at the message engraved at the base of the door.

"To pass through this door, you must shower
the Child of Hygros with gifts most becoming to Him."

"'Shower with gifts,' huh?" you murmur to yourself. "Well ..."

You're not sure if your hunch is right but you decide to test it out anyway. Of the four Pokémon with you right now, there's only one who's cut out for this job: and his name's not Torchic. Summoning Bagon to your side, you tell him "You're the best thing we've got here!" and without explaining the situation to him order him to fire a light Hydro Pump in the general direction of the door. Realizing you're about to get blasted by the recoil of several hundred PSI of water, "light" or not, you throw yourself to the left, hugging the wall of the labyrinth; and Torchic, sensing the very same danger, throws herself to the right. Bagon arches back, his chest puffing up, his cheeks swelling, before letting loose a stream of water. As the water bounces off the bronze doors, it makes the telltale sound of a cascade of water pummeling into a slab of metal. It is the first sound you have heard since entering the maze aside from the sounds of your own footsteps, voice, and Torchic, and it is a welcome sound that punctuates the silence. Bagon aims for the blue diamond in the center of the door, showering it with water. And as the spray from the impact sparkles off of the glittering jewel ...

... an almost-deafening groan shakes the ground as the two huge bronze doors, awoken from their thousand-year slumber, slowly swing open to permit passage into the chamber beyond. It looks like your hunch was right after all: the "child of Hygros" must have been the blue diamond while the "gifts most becoming to Him" must have referred to water.

As the doors slowly creak open, they are by far the most audible thing in your vicinity. However, on the very threshhold of audibility over the almost deafening squeaking and moaning of the heavy bronze, you think you can hear a somewhat similar groaning somewhere far behind you. Like the sound of a great behemoth being woken from a thousand-year slumber of his own ...

Commending Bagon for a job well done, you enter the chamber beyond the doors.

Before you lies a chamber larger than any you have seen thus far. Even more expansive than the great clearing with the stone monument and the four statues, this room is a great square arena flooded with water. You walk to the water's edge, which is none too far from the door, and stand perched atop some milky-white stone bricks. The bricks run all the way to the left and right, terminating at the walls of the labyrinth, but as for forwards, well, they terminate right in front of your very own feet. The only thing between you and the other side of the shore some thirty meters plus away is water. Well, that's not quite true ...

Peering into the water, you make out the faint outlines of several Pokémon. You think you see some Finneon swimming in a small school of three or four together. They're far out of reach, however, and don't seem to notice your presence. Looking above the water, you notice some great marble columns rising up out of the depths and ten feet into the sky. Highways of spidersilk connect the two columns to the walls of the labyrinth and you can see Spinarak crawling along a few of these to cross from one side of the pool to the other without ever touching the water. Finally, you notice that atop each of the two great columns burns a large flame.

"Hmmm, which way should I go from here...? Gaspard, what do you think?"

Connor had been looking at the map he was holding for a while now. He didn't know where exactly he wanted to go today in this huge city. Plus the fact that he often gets lost due to his poor sense of direction, the photographer was literally going in circles, not aware of the fact that he been walking on the same road for the seventh time in a row now this morning. Gaspard, who was holding on to Connor's shoulder as usual, looked at the map and shrugged at his trainer, "Aipom, aipopom," he simply just said, having no clue as to where to go next either. Connor sighed. "Man, this place is so big... there's also so many things to do here and loads of places to take good photos too... I don't know where to start!" he said to his partner. Connor then folded his map, and tucked it away in his bag, proving it to be useless to him.

"Well, no matter. Let's just look around shall we, Gaspard? It's not like we're in a hurry anyway," he said to his Aipom who nodded and gave him his signature toothy grin, "Ai-ai!" and thus the duo continued on into the big city, hopefully finding something interesting to do.

You and your Aipom have just come in to the large city called Palermo. The city shows its influences of the Italian migrations, as old rustic houses often line the streets, and your nose is bombarded by the smells and your eyes engorged with the colors of the city. In the center of the city is the blooming service sector, with the beginnings of some big town influences, with skyscrapers and modern office buildings. You were excited to come here, but, the big cities also have their big deal of problems as well.

You find yourself completely lost despite having a map right next to you. You can't seem to make heads or tails of the streets in this town, you might as well be reading Greek for that matter. Your Aipom seems concerned and worried, as you wander around aimlessly. You find plenty of good photo taking opportunities, but, you really hope for some food and a warm bed to sleep in. You soon come across a park, and, seeing this as good a time as ever, go to a bench some distance off to get off your feet and take a rest. On your way to the bench, someone calls out to you. "Hey kid!" You freeze for a moment, wondering if the person was calling out to you or not. "Yeah, you kid! Come here for a second!" You turn around for a second, and look at the person who was calling you. He was a young man, probably in his middle teens. He had baggy jeans on and a dirty T-shirt on. He looked like he hadn't showered in weeks, and, you guessed, probably was down on his luck and was living in the park. You hesitate about going towards him, but, you are confident with your Aipom at your side, you will be fine.

You walk up towards the man, who doesn't move and does not try to jump at you. "You seem a little lost kid. Don't worry, I'll help you out a little bit. Do you happen to have a light on you?" You shake your head no, a lighter is the one thing you don't pack for trips. "And no huh? Too bad. Really could have used one so that I could keep warm. It is still Autumn, but half the time, it feels like the goddamn winter, you know? Anyways, I can tell that you are new kid and I feel like helping you out a bit. What is it that you want to know kid?" You tell him that for right now, you would want to know where the nearest hotel is, and, what is the biggest tourist site is. "All, okay. That's easy enough. The closest hotel is the Marriott on Seagram Street. That is your second left on this street, and, a little way on your right. For the biggest tourist sites, just check in the modern parts of the city. You can see the new capital and there are probably a couple of museums and stuff around there. You know how these new cities are and their museums huh?" You thank him for the info, and begin to walk away when he speaks up again. "So eager to leave eh? Well, let me tell you one more thing. Weird things have been happening as of late. Animals at night are becoming violent and aggressive. UFO's have been spotted outside of town. But the night is most dangerous. People go missing and stuff. Plus, the Sharks roam around. They were just a local gang till a little while ago, but now, they practically own some parts of town. Definitely not a group of people you want to mess around with too much kid. Just get to the hotel, and stay off the streets at night okay. Kids like you, got to be careful." You thank him again, and walk away. You think you hear a fire starting, but that is impossible. You take a small look back and see indeed that the man has started a fire. He sees you and just smiles. You remark about how strange things seem to be, and walk away, making your way to the hotel. You hope the things the guy said were not true. Otherwise, your stay might not be so nice after all.

You are puzzled, worried, and for once not too lost. Nothing seems out of the ordinary at the moment, other than fires that start up by themselves. What will you do?

You and your Aipom have just come in to the large city called Palermo. The city shows its influences of the Italian migrations, as old rustic houses often line the streets, and your nose is bombarded by the smells and your eyes engorged with the colors of the city. In the center of the city is the blooming service sector, with the beginnings of some big town influences, with skyscrapers and modern office buildings. You were excited to come here, but, the big cities also have their big deal of problems as well.

You find yourself completely lost despite having a map right next to you. You can't seem to make heads or tails of the streets in this town, you might as well be reading Greek for that matter. Your Aipom seems concerned and worried, as you wander around aimlessly. You find plenty of good photo taking opportunities, but, you really hope for some food and a warm bed to sleep in. You soon come across a park, and, seeing this as good a time as ever, go to a bench some distance off to get off your feet and take a rest. On your way to the bench, someone calls out to you. "Hey kid!" You freeze for a moment, wondering if the person was calling out to you or not. "Yeah, you kid! Come here for a second!" You turn around for a second, and look at the person who was calling you. He was a young man, probably in his middle teens. He had baggy jeans on and a dirty T-shirt on. He looked like he hadn't showered in weeks, and, you guessed, probably was down on his luck and was living in the park. You hesitate about going towards him, but, you are confident with your Aipom at your side, you will be fine.

You walk up towards the man, who doesn't move and does not try to jump at you. "You seem a little lost kid. Don't worry, I'll help you out a little bit. Do you happen to have a light on you?" You shake your head no, a lighter is the one thing you don't pack for trips. "And no huh? Too bad. Really could have used one so that I could keep warm. It is still Autumn, but half the time, it feels like the goddamn winter, you know? Anyways, I can tell that you are new kid and I feel like helping you out a bit. What is it that you want to know kid?" You tell him that for right now, you would want to know where the nearest hotel is, and, what is the biggest tourist site is. "All, okay. That's easy enough. The closest hotel is the Marriott on Seagram Street. That is your second left on this street, and, a little way on your right. For the biggest tourist sites, just check in the modern parts of the city. You can see the new capital and there are probably a couple of museums and stuff around there. You know how these new cities are and their museums huh?" You thank him for the info, and begin to walk away when he speaks up again. "So eager to leave eh? Well, let me tell you one more thing. Weird things have been happening as of late. Animals at night are becoming violent and aggressive. UFO's have been spotted outside of town. But the night is most dangerous. People go missing and stuff. Plus, the Sharks roam around. They were just a local gang till a little while ago, but now, they practically own some parts of town. Definitely not a group of people you want to mess around with too much kid. Just get to the hotel, and stay off the streets at night okay. Kids like you, got to be careful." You thank him again, and walk away. You think you hear a fire starting, but that is impossible. You take a small look back and see indeed that the man has started a fire. He sees you and just smiles. You remark about how strange things seem to be, and walk away, making your way to the hotel. You hope the things the guy said were not true. Otherwise, your stay might not be so nice after all.

You are puzzled, worried, and for once not too lost. Nothing seems out of the ordinary at the moment, other than fires that start up by themselves. What will you do?

Connor continued aimlessly walking around the city of Palermo until he found a certain park. "Man, all this walking around sure is making me feel tired... just what time is already?" he said as he looked at his Poketch to check the time, "Wait a minute... it's that time already? Did I really spend that long looking around the place?" he said as he was surprised as to what time it is now. "Aipom?" Gaspard said to Connor. "Well Gaspard, I guess now's a good time to take a break as any..." he said to him, "You know, you have it way too easy, just sitting on my shoulder and all. Why don't I try sitting on your shoulder huh?" Connor joked to Gaspard as the Aipom gave him a questioning look. "Whoa, I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Now where can I find a vacant bench... ah there we go!" the photographer then approached a vacant bench when suddenly, he was interrupted by someone calling out to him.

"Hey kid!" Connor wondered if the person was referring to him. "Yeah, you kid! Come here for a second!" Yup, he definitely was. Connor turned around to face a young man in his middle teens. By his appearance, Connor can tell that he was most likely homeless and was a bit hesitant to approach him. "Well, I should be all right... I have Gaspard with me after all," he thought as he looked at his Aipom. Connor approached the man. "Yes, what is it?" he asked the man. "You seem a little lost kid. Don't worry, I'll help you out a little bit. Do you happen to have a light on you?" he replied. While he was right on the money that Connor was for the nth time, lost, he did appreciate someone helping him out find his way... even if in the end he still ended up lost even with directions. As for the lighter, Connor didn't have one and while he does have Gaspard who knows Fire Punch, and Marco, his shiny Octillery with his Incinerate move, he felt that those two were a bit too overkill just to light a cigarette. "Er... no. I don't a lighter, sorry," the photographer shook his head. "And no huh? Too bad. Really could have used one so that I could keep warm. It is still Autumn, but half the time, it feels like the goddamn winter, you know?" and Connor had to agree on that, which was why he was wearing a blue jacket on him now, "Anyways, I can tell that you are new kid and I feel like helping you out a bit. What is it that you want to know kid?" Since the guy was so kind to help him out, Connor decided to ask him anyway, despite how suspicious he looks like right now.

"Well, what you said is true. I did just come here recently, even though this wasn't exactly my destination, and I was hoping to find a good hotel to stay first... oh, and some good places to take photos too. What are the tourist spots around this city?" he asked the man. "All, okay. That's easy enough. The closest hotel is the Marriott on Seagram Street. That is your second left on this street, and, a little way on your right," Connor grimaced at the thought of following directions. He was almost certain he was never going to find the place the moment he was given any kind of direction. "For the biggest tourist sites, just check in the modern parts of the city. You can see the new capital and there are probably a couple of museums and stuff around there. You know how these new cities are and their museums huh?" Connor nodded and thanked the man for the information. The photographer began to walk away when he was stopped by the man again.

"So eager to leave eh? Well, let me tell you one more thing. Weird things have been happening as of late. Animals at night are becoming violent and aggressive. UFO's have been spotted outside of town. But the night is most dangerous. People go missing and stuff. Plus, the Sharks roam around. They were just a local gang till a little while ago, but now, they practically own some parts of town. Definitely not a group of people you want to mess around with too much kid. Just get to the hotel, and stay off the streets at night okay. Kids like you, got to be careful." Wait, what? Looks like Palermo isn't quite the safe place to be around after all! "Huh? That's... really strange, but again thank you for the info," he said to the man as he started to walk off. Connor then noticed that he had heard a fire starting. He turned around to see that the man had indeed started a fire "Fire? But didn't the man say that he didn't have a lighter with him? I don't think he's lying, but... that's strange," he thought. The man saw him again and just smiled. Connor looked at Gaspard who was probably thinking the same thing too. The duo then walked off tried to look for the hotel, just to settle down first.

"Hey Gaspard," Connor asked his partner, "Don't you think that what that man said was weird?" the Aipom agreed with him, "I mean, yeah we've seen stranger things true, but... isn't that a bit overkill?" he said as he adjusted his blue and orange striped beanie, as if thinking about what he said made his head hurt. "Well anyway no use thinking about that, let's go look for the hotel shall we? Maybe I need some rest..." he said.

You are a little unsettled by the homeless man, but, decide to try and make your way to the Marriott Hotel. Though you have never been good with following directions and being able to understand maps was pitiful at best, you are able to follow signs at least. You make it to the Marriott Hotel with no real surprises along the way. No Sharks, rabid animals, or UFO's to be seen. Gaspard squeaks in joy as he see the hotel, and give a sigh of relief. Now, you will finally be able to get some rest.

You walk into the Marriott Hotel lobby, and see the attendant behind the counter on the other side of the lobby. He was a man in his later forties, with one of those wispy mustaches that you might seen on a man with a place in society. A man in position. Because an important man without a mustache is hardly an important man at all. You walk up to him, and he greets you with a smile. You ask him if he could book you a room for tonight, as you are pretty tuckered out from exploring the city. "Well, I am sorry to say, but we are completely booked up for the night." You are pretty sure you heard your jaw smack the floor in shock. Booked? What horrible luck. You ask what people could be in Palermo with all the weird things happening. "You know, that is precisely what I said myself. A lot of the folks here came for that stuff, you know, the UFO's and aliens and all the rubbish. Personally, I don't believe it the works of aliens. I do, however, believe in the Sharks and the criminal deeds they are doing, and also in the weird abductions that have been occurring. I would love to get you a room, but sadly, every room here is booked."

The news hits you hard. But, what seems to affect you more is the fact that the attendant repeated the same story as the homeless guy, albeit without the UFOs and the aliens. You ask him if there are any other hotels in the town that you could stay at. "Well, that is the thing son. This is the only one in the modern town. There are others, but they are all in neighborhoods that the Sharks have control over. You can try and get a room there, but, let me warn you, you might not come out unharmed. I think that I might be able to let you sleep in the lobby. It would be much worse if I were to force you into the streets at night. If you decide to leave, I can write down some directions on how to get to the nearest hotel from here. It is quite a walk, but, it is not too bad for Shark hotels." You think for a little while on what to do. On one hand, you could try and get to a hotel in a Shark neighborhood. It would be better that sleeping in the lobby of the hotel. But, could you risk an encounter with the Sharks, or something even worse than that? Or....there is the homeless guy. You know, you have no idea why you though of that. Stupid.

You are confused again, but, more frightened than before. You can choose to stay in the hotel lobby and wait until morning. You could try your hand at a hotel in Shark neighborhood. But, there IS that homeless guy, although what he could do is beyond you.

TheLabyrinth of KorosMeetan: The blue diamond is massive. Inlaid six or seven feet above the ground, it's several feet tall: if you stretch out your arm, you might be able to touch the bottom of the diamond with your fingertips. Mesmerized by its beauty, you do exactly that. The diamond is cool to the touch, slick, solid. You can't help but to wonder as to its market value. You've never seen something quite like this before. But your thoughts of ripping the diamond out of its casing and selling it on the outside are rudely punctured by the reality of your current situation: you're trapped inside of a maze with a man-eating beast. You don't exactly have the means or the time by which to pry the diamond out, much less lug it around with you all over the labyrinth. Sobered by these thoughts, you take a second look at the message engraved at the base of the door.

"To pass through this door, you must shower
the Child of Hygros with gifts most becoming to Him."

"'Shower with gifts,' huh?" you murmur to yourself. "Well ..."

You're not sure if your hunch is right but you decide to test it out anyway. Of the four Pokémon with you right now, there's only one who's cut out for this job: and his name's not Torchic. Summoning Bagon to your side, you tell him "You're the best thing we've got here!" and without explaining the situation to him order him to fire a light Hydro Pump in the general direction of the door. Realizing you're about to get blasted by the recoil of several hundred PSI of water, "light" or not, you throw yourself to the left, hugging the wall of the labyrinth; and Torchic, sensing the very same danger, throws herself to the right. Bagon arches back, his chest puffing up, his cheeks swelling, before letting loose a stream of water. As the water bounces off the bronze doors, it makes the telltale sound of a cascade of water pummeling into a slab of metal. It is the first sound you have heard since entering the maze aside from the sounds of your own footsteps, voice, and Torchic, and it is a welcome sound that punctuates the silence. Bagon aims for the blue diamond in the center of the door, showering it with water. And as the spray from the impact sparkles off of the glittering jewel ...

... an almost-deafening groan shakes the ground as the two huge bronze doors, awoken from their thousand-year slumber, slowly swing open to permit passage into the chamber beyond. It looks like your hunch was right after all: the "child of Hygros" must have been the blue diamond while the "gifts most becoming to Him" must have referred to water.

As the doors slowly creak open, they are by far the most audible thing in your vicinity. However, on the very threshhold of audibility over the almost deafening squeaking and moaning of the heavy bronze, you think you can hear a somewhat similar groaning somewhere far behind you. Like the sound of a great behemoth being woken from a thousand-year slumber of his own ...

Commending Bagon for a job well done, you enter the chamber beyond the doors.

Before you lies a chamber larger than any you have seen thus far. Even more expansive than the great clearing with the stone monument and the four statues, this room is a great square arena flooded with water. You walk to the water's edge, which is none too far from the door, and stand perched atop some milky-white stone bricks. The bricks run all the way to the left and right, terminating at the walls of the labyrinth, but as for forwards, well, they terminate right in front of your very own feet. The only thing between you and the other side of the shore some thirty meters plus away is water. Well, that's not quite true ...

Peering into the water, you make out the faint outlines of several Pokémon. You think you see some Finneon swimming in a small school of three or four together. They're far out of reach, however, and don't seem to notice your presence. Looking above the water, you notice some great marble columns rising up out of the depths and ten feet into the sky. Highways of spidersilk connect the two columns to the walls of the labyrinth and you can see Spinarak crawling along a few of these to cross from one side of the pool to the other without ever touching the water. Finally, you notice that atop each of the two great columns burns a large flame.

A new room, a new obstacle. What do you do?

Pokémon in the area:
Finneon, Spinarak

FFA Inventory:
x1 parchment

The Hydro Pump was powerful enough for a slight recoil, and Alice felt slightly refreshed and smoothed by the spray of water. She was relieved, too, that her idea had worked, peering curiously through the increasing gap as the double doors opened, revealing her latest challenge.

"I feel like I'm in a puzzle game, which I'm shit at." The trainer noted dismally, her Torchic giving her another little pet on the leg for his unusually pessimistic human. Bagon glanced at the exchange, not really used to Alice yet, but also used to these kinds of comments. She sighed, stretching, and looked down to the serious dragon. "Thanks a lot, Bagon. You're wicked as ever."

He grunted his acknowledgement, and she proceeded over the threshold into the next chamber. Alice immediately shivered, grumbling and squeaking at the sight of the Spinarak, cowardly as usual. "I can swim, but with all this stuff... And it's quite a distance." She noted, looking up. The Spinarak seemed to have the right idea, but they were too high up. And the fire. Big, big fire. "This is all watery, yes, so... Bagon, d'you think you can aim your Hydro Pump at those big torches up there? Let's try to put them out." The girl suggested, "If I'm wrong and nothing good happens, Torchic can just Bounce up and put them back on, anyway, right?"

She looked at her steadies, and they looked back at her, before her newest recruit took to his order.

You are a little unsettled by the homeless man, but, decide to try and make your way to the Marriott Hotel. Though you have never been good with following directions and being able to understand maps was pitiful at best, you are able to follow signs at least. You make it to the Marriott Hotel with no real surprises along the way. No Sharks, rabid animals, or UFO's to be seen. Gaspard squeaks in joy as he see the hotel, and give a sigh of relief. Now, you will finally be able to get some rest.

You walk into the Marriott Hotel lobby, and see the attendant behind the counter on the other side of the lobby. He was a man in his later forties, with one of those wispy mustaches that you might seen on a man with a place in society. A man in position. Because an important man without a mustache is hardly an important man at all. You walk up to him, and he greets you with a smile. You ask him if he could book you a room for tonight, as you are pretty tuckered out from exploring the city. "Well, I am sorry to say, but we are completely booked up for the night." You are pretty sure you heard your jaw smack the floor in shock. Booked? What horrible luck. You ask what people could be in Palermo with all the weird things happening. "You know, that is precisely what I said myself. A lot of the folks here came for that stuff, you know, the UFO's and aliens and all the rubbish. Personally, I don't believe it the works of aliens. I do, however, believe in the Sharks and the criminal deeds they are doing, and also in the weird abductions that have been occurring. I would love to get you a room, but sadly, every room here is booked."

The news hits you hard. But, what seems to affect you more is the fact that the attendant repeated the same story as the homeless guy, albeit without the UFOs and the aliens. You ask him if there are any other hotels in the town that you could stay at. "Well, that is the thing son. This is the only one in the modern town. There are others, but they are all in neighborhoods that the Sharks have control over. You can try and get a room there, but, let me warn you, you might not come out unharmed. I think that I might be able to let you sleep in the lobby. It would be much worse if I were to force you into the streets at night. If you decide to leave, I can write down some directions on how to get to the nearest hotel from here. It is quite a walk, but, it is not too bad for Shark hotels." You think for a little while on what to do. On one hand, you could try and get to a hotel in a Shark neighborhood. It would be better that sleeping in the lobby of the hotel. But, could you risk an encounter with the Sharks, or something even worse than that? Or....there is the homeless guy. You know, you have no idea why you though of that. Stupid.

You are confused again, but, more frightened than before. You can choose to stay in the hotel lobby and wait until morning. You could try your hand at a hotel in Shark neighborhood. But, there IS that homeless guy, although what he could do is beyond you.

What will you do?

It took Connor a long while navigating through the city, but he finally found the Marriott Hotel. "Wow, and it didn't even take us a whole week to find a hotel this time! What luck!" he said excitedly to Gaspard. The Aipom squeaked in joy as a reply to what Connor previously said and they both settled down as they entered the hotel. Inside they were greeted by a middle-aged man and they were greeted by him with a smile. "Excuse me sir," he said while adapting a formal tone, "Is there a room available tonight? We'd like to check in, if we may," the young photographer asked the attendant. "Well, I am sorry to say, but we are completely booked up for the night."

Connor and Gaspard's jaw dropped. Looks like they're not getting their rest just yet. "Wh-what? Man, and just when I thought I was getting lucky too..." he groaned. "Anyway mister, what could people want to do with Palermo? I've heard the strange rumors around here, wouldn't those rumors turn them off here? he asked the attendant. Connor thought that with all these weird stuff happening in Palermo, people would want to stay away from the place if they valued their own lives. "You know, that is precisely what I said myself. A lot of the folks here came for that stuff, you know, the UFO's and aliens and all the rubbish. Personally, I don't believe it the works of aliens. I do, however, believe in the Sharks and the criminal deeds they are doing, and also in the weird abductions that have been occurring. I would love to get you a room, but sadly, every room here is booked." Connor facepalmed. Of course, he completely forgot the adventurous kind of people. With rumors like these, they'd flock around just to see and even experience it. "Sigh... figures. Completely forgot about those people... but wait, those rumors too? Looks like that homeless guy I talked to back there wasn't making this up..." he said as he paused and think for a bit, "Well, is there any other hotels in town I could stay at?" Connor asked the attendant. "Well, that is the thing son. This is the only one in the modern town. There are others, but they are all in neighborhoods that the Sharks have control over." Connor groaned. Of course they are in the area where the Shark gang is. "You can try and get a room there, but, let me warn you, you might not come out unharmed. I think that I might be able to let you sleep in the lobby. It would be much worse if I were to force you into the streets at night. If you decide to leave, I can write down some directions on how to get to the nearest hotel from here. It is quite a walk, but, it is not too bad for Shark hotels." the attendant continued. Connor thought of his choices: will he take up on the attendant's offer and sleep on the lobby until morning? Or will he venture out into the Shark Zone, just to get to a hotel? There was also that homeless man from before... but he questioned himself as to why he was even contemplating that thought. "Well, what do we do Gaspard?" he asked his Aipom. The purple monkey just shrugged at him, not caring where they sleep. He just wants to sleep, that's all.

Connor wasn't going to take any chances. He wasn't really the type to complain as to where he slept since he has already slept outdoors on multiple occasions. This was no different, he could just use his sleeping bag after all. "I think I'll take you up on that offer to stay in the lobby. I have no idea how bad the situation is here, and I wouldn't want to risk my life finding out for myself. Plus, many people are staying in this hotel right? And they seem to be interested in what's going on in this city... Since they're most likely going to come back here in this lobby to check-in again, it'll be a perfect opportunity for me to gather intel about this situation and see if they know more about this," he said to attendant and to an extent it was true. He had come in to this city not too long ago, and just wandering around Palermo without any sort of info as to what was going on was just plain suicide, "Oh, if there's going to be a vacancy though in the morning, is it possible that you could reserve that room for me immediately? I'd appreciate it," he added as Connor prepared his sleeping bag as he waited for people to come back in the hotel. He had to know what was going on first as these rumors are too crazy.

TheLabyrinth of KorosMeetan: You order Bagon to fire off another Hydro Pump, this time directing his attention towards his targets: the two burning flames which crest each of the two marble columns in the center of the room. Having him use Hydro Pump is overkill for such a task, you realize, but it can't be helped: Bagon's your only Pokémon who knows any water moves, let alone long-range water attacks, and you suspect that those flames atop the central columns might have something to do with how to get across from Shore A to Shore B.

As Bagon lets loose his first volley of turbulent water, a Spinarak who had been crossing from your side of the shore towards the column on the left hurriedly navigates the silky path in order to make it safely to the left wall of the chamber instead of his original destination. Perhaps he doesn't want to risk getting knocked off by an unwieldy blast of water from your little powerful dragon. Or perhaps his instincts tell him of something of which you are not yet aware. Bagon aims purposefully for the flame atop the left column and it is soon put out. You hear a loud *click* from somewhere deep beneath the pool.

Bagon tries to turn his body from one flame, now extinguished, towards the other, all while firing the same torrent of water. However, this proves to be too much for the little inexperienced dragon and he loses his balance as a result, falling backwards, the last of his Hydro Pump firing at an angle upward into the sky. You encourage him not to let it get him down and to fire off another Hydro Pump at the remaining flame. He quickly rights himself up, gives you a look that seems to say "Yeah, let's do this!", and takes aim at the second flame. And firing his third Hydro Pump in less than five minutes, the second flame too is soon extinguished.

As Bagon falls to his knees, panting from exhaustion, you hear a second loud *click* from beneath the pool.

You hear the bubbles before you see them. But your gaze is drawn to the center of the pool upon hearing the telltale sound of an enormous air bubble breaking the surface of the water. A few smaller bubbles seem to follow but then nothing more. Although ...

"Hey ... is the water ... moving?"

It is indeed. You can detect the faintest swirling of water not too far from where the bubble burst forth. And as you move your gaze closer towards your feet, you notice the water spinning ever so slightly faster and faster. This can't be good.

"Finneon! =(" You hear a cry. You see one of the Finneon. He has broken the surface of the water and is crying out in fear and alarm. He swims against the gradually increasing tug of the water and so far seems to be doing an effortless job. But you notice the water level seems to be receding and this is when it hits you: you've activated a drainage system for the pool of water in this tank. As the water continues to drain out of the ancient tank, it spins faster and faster, creating a vortex at the center of the room. The Spinarak are all terrified and are huddled together in clumps either atop the columns or else along the walls. None wants to risk a fall into this raging whirlpool. And as for the fish, the Finneon who surfaced is now swimming with all his might to avoid being swept away. But when he collides with one of his friends who is desperately trying to fight the current from below yet is being spun around, it's game over; and before long, you see all four Finneon spinning 'round and around. "Finneon! Finneon! =(" they cry out, but their pleas fall on helpless ears: you, the perpetrator of this act, are powerless to do anything to save them. And you watch as they spin towards the center of the funnel and, with a mighty finality, the last of the water is sucked out of the chamber, taking the four Finneon and any of the other Pokémon that may have also been down there along with them through an ancient pipe. "FIIIIINEOoooooooooooon!" they cry, fading into the deep belly of this terrible maze.

You've been peering over the ledge -- it can rightly be called such a thing now -- for all this time; but only after the shock of what you've just witnessed fades away do you really take in what you're now looking at. This was a great water tank, approximately 30 meters by 30 meters in cross-sectional area and a good 20 meters deep. The walls beneath the former water line are peppered with algae. On the floor of the chamber can be seen other signs of aquatic life here: coral beds and crumbled stone formations which must have served as the homes for many of the water Pokémon here, toppled-over sea grass now limp without the support of the water to buoy it up, and a thick layer of organic sediment. At the center of the floor is a gaping hole -- the pipe which up until now must have been closed and through which all the water and Pokémon were just drained. And on the opposite wall ...

... you spy large, deep etchings in the wall face which from here give it the semblance of a ladder. Wait, maybe not the semblance ...!? You run over to the matching location on your side of the great divide, fall to your hands and knees, and gripping tightly onto the ledge peer over it, hoping to find a matching set of engravings on your own wall. You do find them: they start roughly one foot down and are spaced roughly one foot apart. You stick your hand inside one of them. They're a little worn from thousands of years of being submerged beneath the waters but you guess the water here has been pretty still and none too acidic because for the most part they look like they're in pretty serviceable condition. They're not terribly deep but you think they're more than adequate for you to stick the front of your shoe inside of and to get a good grip.

Bagon is still panting where you left him. Torchic has been watching the entire scene unfold just as you have and is now by your side, looking down at the chamber floor, then back to you, then back to the floor, then back to you.

TheLabyrinth of KorosMeetan: You order Bagon to fire off another Hydro Pump, this time directing his attention towards his targets: the two burning flames which crest each of the two marble columns in the center of the room. Having him use Hydro Pump is overkill for such a task, you realize, but it can't be helped: Bagon's your only Pokémon who knows any water moves, let alone long-range water attacks, and you suspect that those flames atop the central columns might have something to do with how to get across from Shore A to Shore B.

As Bagon lets loose his first volley of turbulent water, a Spinarak who had been crossing from your side of the shore towards the column on the left hurriedly navigates the silky path in order to make it safely to the left wall of the chamber instead of his original destination. Perhaps he doesn't want to risk getting knocked off by an unwieldy blast of water from your little powerful dragon. Or perhaps his instincts tell him of something of which you are not yet aware. Bagon aims purposefully for the flame atop the left column and it is soon put out. You hear a loud *click* from somewhere deep beneath the pool.

Bagon tries to turn his body from one flame, now extinguished, towards the other, all while firing the same torrent of water. However, this proves to be too much for the little inexperienced dragon and he loses his balance as a result, falling backwards, the last of his Hydro Pump firing at an angle upward into the sky. You encourage him not to let it get him down and to fire off another Hydro Pump at the remaining flame. He quickly rights himself up, gives you a look that seems to say "Yeah, let's do this!", and takes aim at the second flame. And firing his third Hydro Pump in less than five minutes, the second flame too is soon extinguished.

As Bagon falls to his knees, panting from exhaustion, you hear a second loud *click* from beneath the pool.

You hear the bubbles before you see them. But your gaze is drawn to the center of the pool upon hearing the telltale sound of an enormous air bubble breaking the surface of the water. A few smaller bubbles seem to follow but then nothing more. Although ...

"Hey ... is the water ... moving?"

It is indeed. You can detect the faintest swirling of water not too far from where the bubble burst forth. And as you move your gaze closer towards your feet, you notice the water spinning ever so slightly faster and faster. This can't be good.

"Finneon! =(" You hear a cry. You see one of the Finneon. He has broken the surface of the water and is crying out in fear and alarm. He swims against the gradually increasing tug of the water and so far seems to be doing an effortless job. But you notice the water level seems to be receding and this is when it hits you: you've activated a drainage system for the pool of water in this tank. As the water continues to drain out of the ancient tank, it spins faster and faster, creating a vortex at the center of the room. The Spinarak are all terrified and are huddled together in clumps either atop the columns or else along the walls. None wants to risk a fall into this raging whirlpool. And as for the fish, the Finneon who surfaced is now swimming with all his might to avoid being swept away. But when he collides with one of his friends who is desperately trying to fight the current from below yet is being spun around, it's game over; and before long, you see all four Finneon spinning 'round and around. "Finneon! Finneon! =(" they cry out, but their pleas fall on helpless ears: you, the perpetrator of this act, are powerless to do anything to save them. And you watch as they spin towards the center of the funnel and, with a mighty finality, the last of the water is sucked out of the chamber, taking the four Finneon and any of the other Pokémon that may have also been down there along with them through an ancient pipe. "FIIIIINEOoooooooooooon!" they cry, fading into the deep belly of this terrible maze.

You've been peering over the ledge -- it can rightly be called such a thing now -- for all this time; but only after the shock of what you've just witnessed fades away do you really take in what you're now looking at. This was a great water tank, approximately 30 meters by 30 meters in cross-sectional area and a good 20 meters deep. The walls beneath the former water line are peppered with algae. On the floor of the chamber can be seen other signs of aquatic life here: coral beds and crumbled stone formations which must have served as the homes for many of the water Pokémon here, toppled-over sea grass now limp without the support of the water to buoy it up, and a thick layer of organic sediment. At the center of the floor is a gaping hole -- the pipe which up until now must have been closed and through which all the water and Pokémon were just drained. And on the opposite wall ...

... you spy large, deep etchings in the wall face which from here give it the semblance of a ladder. Wait, maybe not the semblance ...!? You run over to the matching location on your side of the great divide, fall to your hands and knees, and gripping tightly onto the ledge peer over it, hoping to find a matching set of engravings on your own wall. You do find them: they start roughly one foot down and are spaced roughly one foot apart. You stick your hand inside one of them. They're a little worn from thousands of years of being submerged beneath the waters but you guess the water here has been pretty still and none too acidic because for the most part they look like they're in pretty serviceable condition. They're not terribly deep but you think they're more than adequate for you to stick the front of your shoe inside of and to get a good grip.

Bagon is still panting where you left him. Torchic has been watching the entire scene unfold just as you have and is now by your side, looking down at the chamber floor, then back to you, then back to the floor, then back to you.

What do you do?

Pokémon in the area:
none (the Spinarak have disappeared)

FFA Inventory:
x1 parchment

Please don't forget to include your registration post! ^^;

Alice bit her lip, watching guiltily as the Finneon were swept into the vortex. If she had a flying type, they could have at least preserved the fish onto land for a short time, if not flown over the water themselves. As it was, the temptation to jump in was foolish and had to be ignored: after all, she would have only fallen in as well. The result seemed to be worse than before. Now there wasn't even water to assist them in crossing, until she spotted the ladders.

"Oh, there is something! Thank Arceus for that." The girl sighed, putting the queasiness in her stomach aside for now. They had been swept up /with/ the water, so surely, the Finneon would all turn out alright. Glancing to Bagon, he looked terribly exhausted, and she pulled him close into a slightly squishy hug. "Thank you so much, baby. You did amazingly for your first mission. Take a rest, yes?" She smiled, kissing the serious male's nose before recalling him.

"Come on, Torchic. I need you to cheer me on while I fail at rock climbing. Let's do this!" The trainer announced sarcastically, first going down sideways to make sure she had her feet and her hands safely in the right places. Her descent was slow, and the bird fluttered down before her, keeping a watch incase he needed to try and assist her. Eventually, Alice made it down, and the Pokemon cheered his odd human on with vigour, bouncing after her as she ran (a bit like the way a Piplup would - there was a reason she did not do running unless necessary) to the opposite side, ready to climb that, too.

TheLabyrinth of KorosMeetan: You feel guilty about what just happened to those poor, poor Finneon. But Bagon's panting interrupts your thoughts and brings you back to the present. That's right -- the Krakiwhozawhatsit. According to the letter there's some terrible beast in this maze with you and if you don't find a way out fast you're done for. You don't have time to stand here feeling sorry for yourself or for the Finneon: you've got to get across to the other side and press onward. You walk over to Bagon, pull him into a hug, and commend him for a job well done. Then, you retire the tuckered-out dragon to his PokéBall before heading over to the ledge and, turning around and kneeling on the ground, scootching your legs down off of the edge and feeling around with the tips of your toes for good footing. You find it and prepare for the scariest bit: you push yourself a bit more off of the ledge, now having to hold yourself up by the strength of your fingers clutching the ledge. Adrenaline coursing through your veins, you grip tightly to the edge of the stony white bricks and lower your left foot out of the crevice it had been tucked into, hunting for a new foothold somewhere slightly beneath. Finding it, you move your right foot in to join it. And then ... you release your grip in your left hand and bring it down to the highest "rung" of the ladder. Then you bring your right hand down in the same manner. And then you move your left foot down again to a new rung. It's just like climbing down any other ladder, only this time, you're 60 feet above the ground trapped inside of a maze with some mysterious beast that's coming for you. Torchic hops off of the ledge and flutters down to the ground -- gravity proves too strong for the little chick to fly alongside you but she is able to slow her descent by furiously beating her tiny wings as fast as she can. Like a little fuzzy parachute of red and orange, she lands safely on the bottom of the chamber while you're still twenty meters up. You can hear her cheering you on as you cautiously, steadily make your descent. Your fingers are moist with the slime of the algae growing into many of the footholds and you grip tightly to the rocky indentations to make sure you don't slip. After about five minutes, you make your way down to the chamber floor.

There's no time to explore: you have to begin the ascent immediately. The air is damp and smells of algae as you make your way over to the other ladder. And as you plant your feet into the bottommost foothold it hits you: the ascent is going to be much tougher than the descent. You look down at Torchic who looks back up at you inquisitively.

TheLabyrinth of KorosMeetan: You feel guilty about what just happened to those poor, poor Finneon. But Bagon's panting interrupts your thoughts and brings you back to the present. That's right -- the Krakiwhozawhatsit. According to the letter there's some terrible beast in this maze with you and if you don't find a way out fast you're done for. You don't have time to stand here feeling sorry for yourself or for the Finneon: you've got to get across to the other side and press onward. You walk over to Bagon, pull him into a hug, and commend him for a job well done. Then, you retire the tuckered-out dragon to his PokéBall before heading over to the ledge and, turning around and kneeling on the ground, scootching your legs down off of the edge and feeling around with the tips of your toes for good footing. You find it and prepare for the scariest bit: you push yourself a bit more off of the ledge, now having to hold yourself up by the strength of your fingers clutching the ledge. Adrenaline coursing through your veins, you grip tightly to the edge of the stony white bricks and lower your left foot out of the crevice it had been tucked into, hunting for a new foothold somewhere slightly beneath. Finding it, you move your right foot in to join it. And then ... you release your grip in your left hand and bring it down to the highest "rung" of the ladder. Then you bring your right hand down in the same manner. And then you move your left foot down again to a new rung. It's just like climbing down any other ladder, only this time, you're 60 feet above the ground trapped inside of a maze with some mysterious beast that's coming for you. Torchic hops off of the ledge and flutters down to the ground -- gravity proves too strong for the little chick to fly alongside you but she is able to slow her descent by furiously beating her tiny wings as fast as she can. Like a little fuzzy parachute of red and orange, she lands safely on the bottom of the chamber while you're still twenty meters up. You can hear her cheering you on as you cautiously, steadily make your descent. Your fingers are moist with the slime of the algae growing into many of the footholds and you grip tightly to the rocky indentations to make sure you don't slip. After about five minutes, you make your way down to the chamber floor.

There's no time to explore: you have to begin the ascent immediately. The air is damp and smells of algae as you make your way over to the other ladder. And as you plant your feet into the bottommost foothold it hits you: the ascent is going to be much tougher than the descent. You look down at Torchic who looks back up at you inquisitively.

What do you do?

Pokémon in the area:
none

FFA Inventory:
x1 parchment

Alice stopped at the foot of the ladder and stared upwards. She liked the gym. She liked grueling five hour sessions at the gym by the Fizzy Bubbles shops, powerwalking on the treadmill and stretching and lifting weights and various gymmy things. It had made her fit. But the lazy, procrastinating, sometimes overdramatic girl felt that nothing was going to prepare her for this.

"You know, I bet if that thing ate me, it'd be far less painful than this."
"Torchic, tor..."
Alice sighed.
"Why didn't I just get Swinub out to freeze the water? Just a bridge. I would have been fine. And not having to climb this effing ladder."
The bird imitated her sigh with her, and finally, the adventurer made a solid decision to try and climb. "I need a Pokemon with Vine Whip. Anyway. Can you Bounce up ahead of me? And cheer with pom poms? Yes, great. Thank you."

TheLabyrinth of KorosMeetan: your little Torchic gathers all the strength in his legs he can possibly muster and pushes off the ground like a popcap, bouncing from the chamber floor on up to one of the footholds about twenty feet above you. Grabbing tightly onto the ledge with his tiny little feet, he perches like a sparrow on a cliffside and looks down, calling out to you encouragingly. It takes quite a bit of energy for him to grab onto the side of the wall like this but he's managing. You approach the face of the wall, look up for the farthest indentation within reach, and place your hands firmly along its basal edge. Then you bend your right leg up and plant the front of your foot firmly inside of the crevice. And then pushing off with all your strength in your right leg and gripping as tightly with your fingers as you can to the algae peppered rung, ...

... you bring your left leg up to meet your right, tucking your left toes into the inlet which before had felt adequately large yet now feels so tiny. Perched like a chimpanzee, your back hunches outwards, threatening to pull you backward and toppling down towards the ground. You can't stay in this position. You have to keep the upward momentum going or else. But this is the most dangerous part of the ascent. Now, while you're being pulled backward and down towards the ground, you have to swing your right arm up to one of the higher "rungs" and dig in with all your might. Then you have to swing your left arm up to meet it. Then , and only then, can you safely extend your legs and right yourself back into a standing position. You focus intensely on the task at hand and just barely manage to grip onto the rung above you with both hands, allowing you to stand yourself up to safety. You're only one rung up the ladder and already you take a break. No one can blame you: this is grueling, exhausting work. And you've got fifty-nine or so more of these to go.

"Torchic Tor!" he cries down to you. Breathing in mouthfuls of air, you crane your neck up to look at your feathery friend. He's still right where you saw him last and he's chirping enthusiastically at you, as if to say "You can do this, Alice!" Craning your neck back to level, you stare off at the right wall of the chamber, not really looking at it, your mind occupied instead entirely with thoughts of the task at hand and Torchic's cheering you on. I can do this, you say to yourself. You know you can. You must. You will.

And repeating the same motions as before -- first the swing of the right leg, then the pushoff and bringing the left leg up to meet it, next the escape from the hunched chimpanzee-like position by extending your right arm to a higher rung, and finally the liberating reach of the left arm which allows you to stand your body erectly and catch another breather -- bit by bit you inch your way up the 20-meter pit. When you get about fifteen feet off the ground, Torchic shakes his butt a little, scrunches down onto his feet, and with a mighty bounce ascends another twenty feet. "Torchic!" he cheaps to you. You grunt a half-smile, half-chuckle. Definitely would have been better to freeze a path over the ice, you keep telling yourself.

The ascent is dangerous, tiring work. The higher you get, the graver the penalty for losing your grip and falling off the ladder. You take an extended break once you reach the carved step where Torchic had been perched moments before. You've lost track of time but feel like you've already been at this for twenty to thirty minutes at least. Your arms are already starting to feel a little sore and achey. Your legs are begging for a chance to stretch into any other position besides the small handful you're able to allow them. As you ready yourself for the next big stretch, you suddenly hear it:

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRNNGHGH!"

It's a loud, terrible roar, muffled only by the distance over which it has to travel. Owing to the twists and turns of the labyrinth you have no idea how far the stone clearing is from your present location but you hope that whatever just made that noise is at least as far away as, if not farther than, the grassy arena with the four stone statues. There's no time to rest, you realize: you have to press on. Now.

As you continue up the final forty feet, each foot you gain takes more effort than the last. You can feel gravity gently tugging back on you, inviting you to just let go, to relax those tired muscles. But you push the cruel temptress aside and carry on. Right foot up. Right foot puuuuuuuuush, left foot up. Brace self, right arm swiiiiiing, left arm uuuuuuuup, exteeeeeeeeeend. Exhale. Bit by tiring bit, you make your way up. As you near Torchic, once again he shakes his feathery tush, scrunches down on his thin wiry feet, and spriiiiiiings up into the air with another great bounce. He just barely rises up over the ledge of the wall and flits himself over to safety. Disappearing from view momentarily, he then cocks his head back over the edge and calls down to you. This is the final stretch. You've already ascended over forty feet. Just twenty feet more to go. You push on, and on, and on again, until finally ...

It feels so, so good to swing your right arm this time not up towards a pocket into which to stick your fingers, claw-like, and grab on for dear life, but onto the white stone bricks that line the surface edge of the pit wall. You swing your left arm up to meet it and with a great final push from your right quad and a mighty heave from both your arms, you pull yourself upward and ... saaaaaafe! *phew* You throw yourself over onto the bricks, laying down on them with arms and legs outstretched like you're ready to make snow angels. That was truly grueling. It would have been one thing if they had been metal rungs on a ladder like the ones you see in military facilities. It would have been quite another if they had been stairs instead of ladders. But they had to be grooves carved into the face of the wall. What you just accomplished was half going down and up a ladder and half mountain climbing. But you did it, you exhale deeply, contentedly looking up at the swirling pink and gold sky. You made it.

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRNNGHGH!"

The source of that dreadful noise has gotten closer. You feel like any second now it might round the corner and peek through the opened door with the blue diamond. The pit of your stomach sinks ten feet. You dart your gaze over towards Torchic. Like a cat on edge, he's staring squarely in the direction of the sound of the roaring, his feathers on edge, his muscles tense.

There is an exit ten feet away in the opposite direction of the cliff face you just climbed up. There are tendrils of spider webbing from the Spinaraks' highway seven or eight feet away from you towards the left wall but aside from that there's no sign of any Pokemon here except for Torchic who is breathing somewhat heavily.

TheLabyrinth of KorosMeetan: your little Torchic gathers all the strength in his legs he can possibly muster and pushes off the ground like a popcap, bouncing from the chamber floor on up to one of the footholds about twenty feet above you. Grabbing tightly onto the ledge with his tiny little feet, he perches like a sparrow on a cliffside and looks down, calling out to you encouragingly. It takes quite a bit of energy for him to grab onto the side of the wall like this but he's managing. You approach the face of the wall, look up for the farthest indentation within reach, and place your hands firmly along its basal edge. Then you bend your right leg up and plant the front of your foot firmly inside of the crevice. And then pushing off with all your strength in your right leg and gripping as tightly with your fingers as you can to the algae peppered rung, ...

... you bring your left leg up to meet your right, tucking your left toes into the inlet which before had felt adequately large yet now feels so tiny. Perched like a chimpanzee, your back hunches outwards, threatening to pull you backward and toppling down towards the ground. You can't stay in this position. You have to keep the upward momentum going or else. But this is the most dangerous part of the ascent. Now, while you're being pulled backward and down towards the ground, you have to swing your right arm up to one of the higher "rungs" and dig in with all your might. Then you have to swing your left arm up to meet it. Then , and only then, can you safely extend your legs and right yourself back into a standing position. You focus intensely on the task at hand and just barely manage to grip onto the rung above you with both hands, allowing you to stand yourself up to safety. You're only one rung up the ladder and already you take a break. No one can blame you: this is grueling, exhausting work. And you've got fifty-nine or so more of these to go.

"Torchic Tor!" he cries down to you. Breathing in mouthfuls of air, you crane your neck up to look at your feathery friend. He's still right where you saw him last and he's chirping enthusiastically at you, as if to say "You can do this, Alice!" Craning your neck back to level, you stare off at the right wall of the chamber, not really looking at it, your mind occupied instead entirely with thoughts of the task at hand and Torchic's cheering you on. I can do this, you say to yourself. You know you can. You must. You will.

And repeating the same motions as before -- first the swing of the right leg, then the pushoff and bringing the left leg up to meet it, next the escape from the hunched chimpanzee-like position by extending your right arm to a higher rung, and finally the liberating reach of the left arm which allows you to stand your body erectly and catch another breather -- bit by bit you inch your way up the 20-meter pit. When you get about fifteen feet off the ground, Torchic shakes his butt a little, scrunches down onto his feet, and with a mighty bounce ascends another twenty feet. "Torchic!" he cheaps to you. You grunt a half-smile, half-chuckle. Definitely would have been better to freeze a path over the ice, you keep telling yourself.

The ascent is dangerous, tiring work. The higher you get, the graver the penalty for losing your grip and falling off the ladder. You take an extended break once you reach the carved step where Torchic had been perched moments before. You've lost track of time but feel like you've already been at this for twenty to thirty minutes at least. Your arms are already starting to feel a little sore and achey. Your legs are begging for a chance to stretch into any other position besides the small handful you're able to allow them. As you ready yourself for the next big stretch, you suddenly hear it:

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRNNGHGH!"

It's a loud, terrible roar, muffled only by the distance over which it has to travel. Owing to the twists and turns of the labyrinth you have no idea how far the stone clearing is from your present location but you hope that whatever just made that noise is at least as far away as, if not farther than, the grassy arena with the four stone statues. There's no time to rest, you realize: you have to press on. Now.

As you continue up the final forty feet, each foot you gain takes more effort than the last. You can feel gravity gently tugging back on you, inviting you to just let go, to relax those tired muscles. But you push the cruel temptress aside and carry on. Right foot up. Right foot puuuuuuuuush, left foot up. Brace self, right arm swiiiiiing, left arm uuuuuuuup, exteeeeeeeeeend. Exhale. Bit by tiring bit, you make your way up. As you near Torchic, once again he shakes his feathery tush, scrunches down on his thin wiry feet, and spriiiiiiings up into the air with another great bounce. He just barely rises up over the ledge of the wall and flits himself over to safety. Disappearing from view momentarily, he then cocks his head back over the edge and calls down to you. This is the final stretch. You've already ascended over forty feet. Just twenty feet more to go. You push on, and on, and on again, until finally ...

It feels so, so good to swing your right arm this time not up towards a pocket into which to stick your fingers, claw-like, and grab on for dear life, but onto the white stone bricks that line the surface edge of the pit wall. You swing your left arm up to meet it and with a great final push from your right quad and a mighty heave from both your arms, you pull yourself upward and ... saaaaaafe! *phew* You throw yourself over onto the bricks, laying down on them with arms and legs outstretched like you're ready to make snow angels. That was truly grueling. It would have been one thing if they had been metal rungs on a ladder like the ones you see in military facilities. It would have been quite another if they had been stairs instead of ladders. But they had to be grooves carved into the face of the wall. What you just accomplished was half going down and up a ladder and half mountain climbing. But you did it, you exhale deeply, contentedly looking up at the swirling pink and gold sky. You made it.

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRNNGHGH!"

The source of that dreadful noise has gotten closer. You feel like any second now it might round the corner and peek through the opened door with the blue diamond. The pit of your stomach sinks ten feet. You dart your gaze over towards Torchic. Like a cat on edge, he's staring squarely in the direction of the sound of the roaring, his feathers on edge, his muscles tense.

There is an exit ten feet away in the opposite direction of the cliff face you just climbed up. There are tendrils of spider webbing from the Spinaraks' highway seven or eight feet away from you towards the left wall but aside from that there's no sign of any Pokemon here except for Torchic who is breathing somewhat heavily.

What do you do?

Pokémon in the area:
none

FFA Inventory:
x1 parchment

Why she could not just have summoned Swinub to save her this problem, Alice did not know, and every five seconds she contemplated this issue as she climbed the makeshift ladder. She had never before been able to rock climb. Absailing was another thing: she was more than capable of just falling backwards off a cliff, which made this whole endeavor a lot more worrying. There was a small, entertaining comfort through the whole ascent, though: the fact that she had picked the hard option. Her friends always criticised her for being so awkward and a bit dim at times, somehow turning simple tasks into the most complex missions. Ironically, complicated things were simple for her most of the time. It was just how she was.

"Cross the river, you can do it." The girl whisper sung under her breath to herself after one of Torchic's cheers, quoting an idol song she liked. Torchic probably had no idea how helpful he was right now. Adrenaline was pulsing through her veins, certainly, but she was so, so frightened and so, so tired. It seemed like, as painful and utterly morbid as the crash would be, falling would be an easier end-all solution. But he kept her spirits going, and kept reminding her: if anything bad happened, what would become of her Pokemon?

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRNNGHGH!"

The sound coaxed a gasp from the human, and wide eyed, Alice shot a look up at Torchic, who resembled a Deerling in headlights. That thing was close, and coming. Suddenly, the speed at which the ascent was happening had become faster. All of a sudden, again, the girl was at the top, flopping onto her stomach and heaving. "If I don't lose any weight after this, some creator or manipulator of physics and life in general is going to effing pay." She gasped out, rolling onto her back and looking round. Rest was bad, there wasn't time to get comfortable, but as much stamina as she had, this was a workout.

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRNNGHGH!"

"No!"

Alice looked over at her Pokemon, who looked just as alarmed as she did. He was tiring too, like Bagon. If things kept up like this, they would not be able to protect her when the time came, and she was convinced that the beast could not be beaten by her alone. Behind her there was another pathway, and the teenager gathered Torchic into her arms, pressed a comforting kiss to his forehead, and scrambled up.

"Come on, honey. I don't think I need to tell you that we've got to go." With this, she started at a light, but urgent, jog for the road that awaited them. If Swinub was a Mamoswine, or Bagon a Salamence, this would have been so much easier than on foot!

Dust flew into her face, eclipsing. She swallowed sand and fear, and kept running. Behind, the angry shouts of soldiers gave chase.

A bark by her side. Jessica twisted to see Kief targeting his snout towards a tiny alleyway. She ducked and diverted, sliding safe into home. Kief oversaw his trainer’s departure before darting after her, the tan tip of his tail flicking just out of view as their pursuers rounded the corner and passed by without threat.

Jessica released her breath, as well as her terrified clutch on Kief. The little Zigzagoon slid thankfully out of her arms onto the cool earth, sheltered by the shade of contiguous buildings and an overhead canopy. As her adrenaline altitude declined, the girl found time to reflect on exactly how she ended up in this situation. Scrunching her brow, hazy memories began to resurface, condensing to clarity.

…One minute, she had been staggering back from a crazy night of karaoke at the Bar when she was accosted by a small, strange, foreign-sounding trader on the side of the road (who she could have sworn had been singing a song about cutting off people’s ears before switching to something about desert heat upon her approach). He had impressed upon her some kind of weird lamp, promising magical wonders would happen if she rubbed the side. Her (lactose-induced) inebriation pushed aside her skepticism at the time and she followed the instruction without any foreboding.

…The next moment, she found herself in the middle of a busy marketplace – and then fleeing for her life through the dirt streets of some exotic (yet clearly impoverished) quarter of a city from a group of guards who accused her of stealing. Kief, who had been supporting walking his trainer home at the time and watched her strike such a shady deal with great worry, was also whisked to the same place without warning. Jessica managed a relieved smile and patted her pal between the ears, glad to at least have a friend with her in this bizarre land. It was only thanks to his quick thinking that the two had barely escaped with their lives. Else they would have both become shish-kabob by the blade of a burly man’s sword. Jessica shuddered, having but a moment ago felt its curve bypass the base of her neck.

She shook her head and tried to focus on the more important task, struggling to conjure more clues are to her whereabouts or how she got here. But beyond vague impressions she had no idea. Although, she had the odd feeling she’d witnessed such a scene before, perhaps on a screen…

Before she could grasp the fleeting image though, her thoughts were interrupted by a bellow from down the other end of the alley. “There’s the thieving rat!” Jessica jumped to her feet as the police came charging down the passage, albeit delayed slightly by the narrow congestion. She glanced at Kief to urge he get a move on, and to her surprise she saw him swiftly swallow the remains of a piece of bread. She groaned.

“Kief, you DIDN’T. No wonder these guys are after us!”

The klepto Kief grinned sheepishly, and upon his trainer’s stern look, humbly offered his services to help subvert the law. She sighed.

“Guess we’ve got no choice. Doesn’t look like we can talk our way out of this one. You got us into this mess, now hurry and get us out of it!”

Kief nodded and leapt nimbly to his feet, crumbs still clinging to his fur. He confronted the parade of patrolmen, who had paused procession briefly, deciding it more efficient to send out their Pokémon first. A pair of crimson-colored, circular creatures started stomping down the path on clumsy chicken feet. Jessica had never seen a Darumaka before, so their funny shape and googly eyes, in addition to golden chest markings and bushy eyebrows, made her raise one of her own. Gauging the distance, she afforded a second to consult her Pokédex, only to find to her dismay that it and her entire bag were gone. She cursed, momentarily concerned that she had left all her items behind at the Bar. At worst, she bartered them away for the lamp or even lost them in a bet. But no, she distinctly recalled repossessing her bag when the trader left, since she set it down afterward to spend a few good minutes looking for lamp polish. …Heaven knows in such a smashed state she thought she had some on her person.

Jessica grimaced as another thought then occurred to her. So either that trader had contrived to put some gas in the lamp to knock her out, steal all her stuff, and dump her in this arid land… Or her bag was still on the side of the road and either magic or delirium had transported her here without it. Joy.

While she relaxed slightly at the prospect of possibly reclaiming her inventory once this nightmare was over with, panic inflated again as she double-checked the Pokéballs surrounding her waist, easing once more to sense six metal spheres against her skin. At least her team still seemed to be with her, which was the greatest relief. While objects – including Pokéballs – could always be replaced, their contents – her closest companions – could not.

Meanwhile, the red bowling bowls were barreling down the lane like nobody’s business, so unfortunately she didn’t have time to personally count each of her Pokémon present. She would have to call them out later to confirm. Kief barked as both a wake-up warning to his trainer and to keep the adversaries at bay, priming himself for commands. Jessica shrugged, frustrated at not having a specific strategy to deal with these opponents but realizing she had no option other than to give it her best shot.

“All right, Kief, try blinding them with SAND-ATTACK. Then ICY WIND to slow them down. Finally, try forming a SUBSTITUTE to confuse them while we make our getaway.”

TheLabyrinth of KorosMeetan: Gathering Torchic, you scramble off the cool, white stone bricks and made for the exit. You are physically exhausted but you know you can't linger: the roaring of some terrible, unseen force draws ever closer. You can't allow whatever it is to catch up with you and so you have no choice: not just for your sake but for the sake of all of your Pokémon, you have to press on. Your thighs burn in protest but you soon put them out of your mind as you and the little bundle of fire and feathers cradled in your arms make your way out of the aquachamber.

You walk down a long, winding stone passageway. There were never any breaks in the wall -- for all its twists and turns, you ever only have two options: turn back or press forward. And so after a few minutes of pressing forward like this, you come upon an archway. Passing under the arch, you enter a round chamber.

Cascades of water roll off the top of the walls of the chamber and down the sides, creating a misty spray as they collide with the circular well which runs along the entire wall of the chamber, broken only by the path beneath the archway. From this well come four small channels through which water steadily flows into a circular channel in the floor. At the center of this circle is a great a stone statue, quite similar to the ones you saw before in the clearing with the great stone slab. This statue is of a woman, beautiful and strong, with long flowing stone hair and two great angelic wings. The statue is the very first thing to catch anyone's eye upon entering this room, and what the statue holds in its hands is what your gaze now falls upon: a large, blue orb. It looks like a glass marble made from the ocean itself, its deep water blues so delicious as to make one want to drink them and yet so glassine that one knew it surely was made of crystal and not of liquid. This orb the angel holds between her two hands, cupped, her right supporting its weight from underneath, her left keeping it securely in place.

What do you think? And what do you do?

Pokémon in the area:
none

FFA Inventory:
x1 parchment

Quote:

Originally Posted by YUKI.N

OoC - Thanks for taking me, Talon!

Dust flew into her face, eclipsing. She swallowed sand and fear, and kept running. Behind, the angry shouts of soldiers gave chase.

A bark by her side. Jessica twisted to see Kief targeting his snout towards a tiny alleyway. She ducked and diverted, sliding safe into home. Kief oversaw his trainer’s departure before darting after her, the tan tip of his tail flicking just out of view as their pursuers rounded the corner and passed by without threat.

Jessica released her breath, as well as her terrified clutch on Kief. The little Zigzagoon slid thankfully out of her arms onto the cool earth, sheltered by the shade of contiguous buildings and an overhead canopy. As her adrenaline altitude declined, the girl found time to reflect on exactly how she ended up in this situation. Scrunching her brow, hazy memories began to resurface, condensing to clarity.

…One minute, she had been staggering back from a crazy night of karaoke at the Bar when she was accosted by a small, strange, foreign-sounding trader on the side of the road (who she could have sworn had been singing a song about cutting off people’s ears before switching to something about desert heat upon her approach). He had impressed upon her some kind of weird lamp, promising magical wonders would happen if she rubbed the side. Her (lactose-induced) inebriation pushed aside her skepticism at the time and she followed the instruction without any foreboding.

…The next moment, she found herself in the middle of a busy marketplace – and then fleeing for her life through the dirt streets of some exotic (yet clearly impoverished) quarter of a city from a group of guards who accused her of stealing. Kief, who had been supporting walking his trainer home at the time and watched her strike such a shady deal with great worry, was also whisked to the same place without warning. Jessica managed a relieved smile and patted her pal between the ears, glad to at least have a friend with her in this bizarre land. It was only thanks to his quick thinking that the two had barely escaped with their lives. Else they would have both become shish-kabob by the blade of a burly man’s sword. Jessica shuddered, having but a moment ago felt its curve bypass the base of her neck.

She shook her head and tried to focus on the more important task, struggling to conjure more clues are to her whereabouts or how she got here. But beyond vague impressions she had no idea. Although, she had the odd feeling she’d witnessed such a scene before, perhaps on a screen…

Before she could grasp the fleeting image though, her thoughts were interrupted by a bellow from down the other end of the alley. “There’s the thieving rat!” Jessica jumped to her feet as the police came charging down the passage, albeit delayed slightly by the narrow congestion. She glanced at Kief to urge he get a move on, and to her surprise she saw him swiftly swallow the remains of a piece of bread. She groaned.

“Kief, you DIDN’T. No wonder these guys are after us!”

The klepto Kief grinned sheepishly, and upon his trainer’s stern look, humbly offered his services to help subvert the law. She sighed.

“Guess we’ve got no choice. Doesn’t look like we can talk our way out of this one. You got us into this mess, now hurry and get us out of it!”

Kief nodded and leapt nimbly to his feet, crumbs still clinging to his fur. He confronted the parade of patrolmen, who had paused procession briefly, deciding it more efficient to send out their Pokémon first. A pair of crimson-colored, circular creatures started stomping down the path on clumsy chicken feet. Jessica had never seen a Darumaka before, so their funny shape and googly eyes, in addition to golden chest markings and bushy eyebrows, made her raise one of her own. Gauging the distance, she afforded a second to consult her Pokédex, only to find to her dismay that it and her entire bag were gone. She cursed, momentarily concerned that she had left all her items behind at the Bar. At worst, she bartered them away for the lamp or even lost them in a bet. But no, she distinctly recalled repossessing her bag when the trader left, since she set it down afterward to spend a few good minutes looking for lamp polish. …Heaven knows in such a smashed state she thought she had some on her person.

Jessica grimaced as another thought then occurred to her. So either that trader had contrived to put some gas in the lamp to knock her out, steal all her stuff, and dump her in this arid land… Or her bag was still on the side of the road and either magic or delirium had transported her here without it. Joy.

While she relaxed slightly at the prospect of possibly reclaiming her inventory once this nightmare was over with, panic inflated again as she double-checked the Pokéballs surrounding her waist, easing once more to sense six metal spheres against her skin. At least her team still seemed to be with her, which was the greatest relief. While objects – including Pokéballs – could always be replaced, their contents – her closest companions – could not.

Meanwhile, the red bowling bowls were barreling down the lane like nobody’s business, so unfortunately she didn’t have time to personally count each of her Pokémon present. She would have to call them out later to confirm. Kief barked as both a wake-up warning to his trainer and to keep the adversaries at bay, priming himself for commands. Jessica shrugged, frustrated at not having a specific strategy to deal with these opponents but realizing she had no option other than to give it her best shot.

“All right, Kief, try blinding them with SAND-ATTACK. Then ICY WIND to slow them down. Finally, try forming a SUBSTITUTE to confuse them while we make our getaway.”

Welcome aboard, Yuki! As you already know, we'll be replying in FFFF99 yellow for this adventure. Please be sure to provide a link to your registration post. Thanks!

The Tale of the Wishmakers:
lilbluecorsola: As the Darumakka come barreling towards you and Kief, you order him to use Sand-Attack to slow your pursuers down. Kief turns around, digs his heels into the dirt, and starts scraping backwards at a blistering pace. Soon there is a pale cloud of dirt in the air and the Darumakka are clawing at their eyes, trying to get the fine particulates out. Then when they can't see you order Kief to use Icy Wind, hoping that it might slow them down. You're none too sure about the efficacy of the attack seeing as the Darumakka hardly seem to notice it at all but you're at least relieved to see that they're still clawing away at their eyes in desperate attempts to get that sand out. In fact, if there's one thing the Icy Wind did do, it's stir up the cloud of dirt even worse than before. It's now like a miniature sandstorm inside the alley and the two Darumakka are caught in the thick of it. From the other side of the dust cloud you hear one of the guards shout, "AFTER THEM, YOU FOOLS!" One of two Darumakka ignores his orders, the sand being simply too much to be ignored, and he continues to try and rub it out of his teary eyes; but the other bares his eyes wide-open, red and itchy, and makes to pursue you and Kief. That's when you order Kief to make a substitute. The mischievous raccoon-dog grins, a twinkle in his eye, and with a poof of smoke there are suddenly two Kiefs! One of the Kiefs runs over to you while the remaining Kief stays put, ready to meet the Darumakka charging towards him. The two tussle about, stirring up even more smoky sand. The narrow passageway doesn't allow the guards to give chase, their own Darumakka blocking the way. "YOU IDIOTS!" the guard in front bellows. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!" he shouts to the first Darumakka, still bouncing left and right in the alley as he tries to get the last bits of sand out of his eyes. "THAT IS NOT THEM!" he shouts to the other, "THAT IS JUST A SUBSTITUTE!" But the Darumakka wrestling with the fake Kief doesn't seem to take heed of his master's advice: he can't possibly know that this Kief is a fake. Not until he's worn it down anyway! Smiling to yourself, you shout back some thanks for the bread and make your escape out the back of the alley, Kief scampering along close behind. Unable to pursue you, the guards curse and trundle out the other end of the alley.

You've lost them for now, you realize, but they could be back any second. You and Kief have to get out of here fast. You make your way out the other end of the alley and find yourself back on what appears to be a main street. Judging from the looks of things, you're still in the merchant district: you see shopkeepers selling their wares of every kind behind a number of colorful stalls. One vendor, a bearded man with dark tanned skin and an immaculately white turban, is selling exotic fruits and berries. Another man, clean-shaven and less tan, is selling fresh fish. There is a snakecharmer on the street playing a flute while an Ekans rises out of a wicker basket. Some of the children laugh and point at this show; others run wildly through the street playing tag. You see one of the girls run towards a shop, one of the many buildings which form the "walls" of this street, but the others shout out to her that she's breaking the rules. As she frantically tries to dodge the boy who's "it," they both barely avoid crashing into a woman who is coming out the shop door, unable to see the children beneath the bundles of fabric she is holding to tightly in her hands. They avoid her just in the nick of time: unfortunately for the little girl, the boy takes this opportunity to tag her. "YOU'RE IT!" he shouts with glee as he runs away from her. Frowning, she chases after him and the others, clearly upset at having become "It."

As you begin to walk down the street with Kief, the little rascal licking some scrumptious crumbs of bread off the corners of his mouth, you notice that some of the women and children are looking in your general direction. The women hide furtive glances and chatter behind their veiled faces guarded by their long sleeves. The children are less preoccupied with subtlety: many of them point and laugh at you. Uh-oh, you realize as you look down at yourself ...

TheLabyrinth of KorosMeetan: Gathering Torchic, you scramble off the cool, white stone bricks and made for the exit. You are physically exhausted but you know you can't linger: the roaring of some terrible, unseen force draws ever closer. You can't allow whatever it is to catch up with you and so you have no choice: not just for your sake but for the sake of all of your Pokémon, you have to press on. Your thighs burn in protest but you soon put them out of your mind as you and the little bundle of fire and feathers cradled in your arms make your way out of the aquachamber.

You walk down a long, winding stone passageway. There were never any breaks in the wall -- for all its twists and turns, you ever only have two options: turn back or press forward. And so after a few minutes of pressing forward like this, you upon an archway. Passing under the arch, you enter a round chamber.

Cascades of water roll off the top of the walls of the chamber and down the sides, creating a misty spray as they collide with the circular well which runs along the entire wall of the chamber, broken only by the path beneath the archway. From this well come four small channels through which water steadily flows into a circular channel in the floor. At the center of this circle is a great a stone statue, quite similar to the ones you saw before in the clearing with the great stone slab. This statue is of a woman, beautiful and strong, with long flowing stone hair and two great angelic wings. The statue is the very first thing to catch anyone's eye upon entering this room, and what the statue holds in its hands is what your gaze now falls upon: a large, blue orb. It looks like a glass marble made from the ocean itself, its deep water blues so delicious as to make one want to drink them and yet so glassine that one knew it surely was made of crystal and not of liquid. This orb the angel holds between her two hands, cupped, her right supporting its weight from underneath, her left keeping it securely in place.

What do you think? And what do you do?

Pokémon in the area:
none

FFA Inventory:
x1 parchment

Alice continued going, her pace falling between a light jog and severe powerwalk. She couldn't fully run at any state of stamina, but like this was utterly impossible. The girl tripped occasionally, failing to even go in a straight line, and Torchic appeared concerned at how weary his trainer was becoming.

"Torc, chic chic." It chirped with concern, and the girl smiled through her panting, hugging him a little closer in comfort.
"It's alright, we're almost somewhere. I hear water. Again." The trainer added with a hint of wry misery, and her 'little man' chirped again. Sure enough, the duo had come upon a new chamber, favouring the same element as the last.

"This place is gorgeous..." The girl whispered, popping Torchic down for a moment to catch some of the running water in her hands, using it to clean off the sweat and refresh herself. Alice turned again, walking towards the magnificent statue, her companion hopping curiously after her, cocking his head in similar intrigue.

"This labyrinth doesn't really like you, does it, buddy? Fire's not going to help us here." She assumed, and the bird responded almost solemnly, watching as his trainer examined the statue close up, and with an air of respect. "Maybe we need Bagon again... Or Swinub? Water feels too obvious. Maybe ice is the way to go. But then again... I know I can't really overthink something as serious as this, but really!"

Alice huffed. Another thought was to take it out, but the last time she had removed something - fire from a pillar - a bunch of Finneon had gone crying to what seemed like their doom. It looked an impossible task, anyway, but she was more cautious now. "The water's got to be going somewhere, too... Hey, Torchic, if you can get near it without getting too wet, how about using Strength on it? Maybe we have to go down - I can't see any exits! Not obvious ones, anyway..."

That was a thought: cover all bases. "I'll be close." The trainer added, moving off to the outer circle, beginning to trace her hand along the walls that the water crashed down. It was nice and cool, but maybe there were hidden exits to be found. Although, she was just as aware that she was pulling hopelessly at strings by this point.

TheLabyrinth of KorosMeetan: You are amazed by the beauty of this room. Placing Torchic down on the ground, you walk over to the well running along the perimeter of the room, careful not to trip over the channels of water inlaid in the ground, and use it to refresh yourself, cleaning off the sweat and grime from your face and hands. Once you feel a little restored, only then do you turn your attention back to the statue at the center of the room. You wonder if it might be another puzzle. And if so, you wonder which of your Pokemon is best suited for the job? "Maybe we need Bagon again," you muse, "Or Swinub? Water feels too obvious. Maybe ice is the way to go. But then again ... I know I can't really overthink something as serious as this, but really!" You're fairly confident the room contains some sort of puzzle to be solved, some sort of secret to be uncovered, but you've no idea what it could be and are too tired for more guessing games.

That's when the idea strikes you: maybe you could just take the blue orb? But no, you say, that can't be right. The last time you did something like that, you flushed four Finneons down the toilet and then had to pseudo-rockclimb a distance totalling 120-odd feet. What will happen if you just take the blue orb from out between the angel's hands? You don't know but just thinking of the possible punishments which might await you gives you pause.

"The water's got to be going somewhere," you reason. "Hey, Torchic! If you can get near it without getting too wet, how about using Strength on it?" Torchic cocks his head. Use Strength? On what exactly? The statue? Figuring that must be what you mean, the little chick puffs up his chest, juts out his tiny wings like he's preparing to take flight, and charges towards the statue. With a great showing of physical strength, Torchic pushes on the statue. "CHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!" he grunts as he pushes with all his might. Not an inch. The statue has not budged one inch. You look around to see if that did anything. There are no evident changes to anything in the room.

That's when it hits you: perhaps there is a hidden door behind the cascading walls of water. You hop up onto the outer rim of the well and walk along it, trying not to fall in while at the same time trying to trace your hand along the walls, feeling for cracks or openings, any signs at all of a secret passage. The touch of the stone is cool, smooth, and wet. As you gently rub your hand along the walls, feeling for any signs of a trap door or secret passageway, all you can really feel are the deep grooves which separate one block of stones from another. It's hard to say with any degree of certainty whether you're feeling the edge of a sealed door or just another groove in the stones. You can't really see past the cascades of water either. As you reach the end of the line, you hop off of the well's lip and onto the ground.

There has to be something you've overlooked, you figure. "But where," you ask yourself, "where should I look?"

TheLabyrinth of KorosMeetan: You are amazed by the beauty of this room. Placing Torchic down on the ground, you walk over to the well running along the perimeter of the room, careful not to trip over the channels of water inlaid in the ground, and use it to refresh yourself, cleaning off the sweat and grime from your face and hands. Once you feel a little restored, only then do you turn your attention back to the statue at the center of the room. You wonder if it might be another puzzle. And if so, you wonder which of your Pokemon is best suited for the job? "Maybe we need Bagon again," you muse, "Or Swinub? Water feels too obvious. Maybe ice is the way to go. But then again ... I know I can't really overthink something as serious as this, but really!" You're fairly confident the room contains some sort of puzzle to be solved, some sort of secret to be uncovered, but you've no idea what it could be and are too tired for more guessing games.

That's when the idea strikes you: maybe you could just take the blue orb? But no, you say, that can't be right. The last time you did something like that, you flushed four Finneons down the toilet and then had to pseudo-rockclimb a distance totalling 120-odd feet. What will happen if you just take the blue orb from out between the angel's hands? You don't know but just thinking of the possible punishments which might await you gives you pause.

"The water's got to be going somewhere," you reason. "Hey, Torchic! If you can get near it without getting too wet, how about using Strength on it?" Torchic cocks his head. Use Strength? On what exactly? The statue? Figuring that must be what you mean, the little chick puffs up his chest, juts out his tiny wings like he's preparing to take flight, and charges towards the statue. With a great showing of physical strength, Torchic pushes on the statue. "CHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!" he grunts as he pushes with all his might. Not an inch. The statue has not budged one inch. You look around to see if that did anything. There are no evident changes to anything in the room.

That's when it hits you: perhaps there is a hidden door behind the cascading walls of water. You hop up onto the outer rim of the well and walk along it, trying not to fall in while at the same time trying to trace your hand along the walls, feeling for cracks or openings, any signs at all of a secret passage. The touch of the stone is cool, smooth, and wet. As you gently rub your hand along the walls, feeling for any signs of a trap door or secret passageway, all you can really feel are the deep grooves which separate one block of stones from another. It's hard to say with any degree of certainty whether you're feeling the edge of a sealed door or just another groove in the stones. You can't really see past the cascades of water either. As you reach the end of the line, you hop off of the well's lip and onto the ground.

There has to be something you've overlooked, you figure. "But where," you ask yourself, "where should I look?"

Pokémon in the area:
none

FFA Inventory:
x1 parchment

"But where... Where should I look?"

Alice was smart, yes, but she hated puzzles. She had never partaken in the puzzle league, avoided strategy arcade games - for the most part - like the plague and was a sore, easily frustrated loser. Such emotions trebled under life threatening conditions. The girl huffed, running her hands through her hair, taking a deep breath. Torchic glanced back. "Thank you for trying, Torchic. We needed to check that." She said, letting her arms flop by her side as she carefully, and slowly, wandered the room. There had to be something. Anything.

"I'm going to die. We're going to die. That's it. We are screwed." She concluded, groaning and whining like a spoiled child, "I don't know, Torchic!"
"Tor tor, torchic." The bird replied, flapping his wings encouragingly, as if resuming his little cheerleading fiasco from not too long ago. His trainer laughed, and he chirped happily. That was something.

"Where do I look...?" Alice repeated. Looking up, she still couldn't view the sun. Back at the statue again, she rested her hands on the statue's broad wings. Perhaps they could be pushed down, like a lever? And her eyes shifted to the archway, too, incase she had missed a clue or inscription of some kind.

"This can't be a dead end. Can it? Unless I'm supposed to climb up onto the top or something...? That water can't be flowing from nowhere..."

TheLabyrinth of KorosMeetan: You despair, hopelessly frustrated by the puzzles this maze keeps throwing at you, but some motivational chirping from Torchic gets you back on your feet looking for clues, triggers, anything that might explain why you walked all the way here just to wind up in what appears to be a dead end room. Resting your hands on the wings of the statue, you wonder if perhaps they might not be levers that can be pushed down to activate some sort of mechanical mechanism. In order to push down on them, you'd have to crawl up on the statue. But perhaps you could pull down on them? You place your hands atop the wings and give a gentle pull downward. Nothing. You pull downward again, this time a little harder. Soon you're hanging off of the wings, your legs pulled up behind you in midair, dragging down on them with all the weight of your body. Nothing. When you see that they're not budging, you give up on this and head towards the archway that led into the room. "Maybe there was some sort of inscription up there," you reckon. You go back under the archway and after taking a few steps into the hallway you turn around to face the arch. Nothing. The stones which form the arch are no more special than those which form the adjoining walls. They look weathered but sturdy and show no signs of inscriptions or levers or any other sort of clues as to what might help you in this room.

You wonder if the room really is just a dead end. But it can't be a dead end ... can it? Your thoughts turn to the water babbling over the top of the circular wall and cascading down the sides. Maybe if I follow this water back to its soruce, you speculate ... And so thinking, you climb back up onto the well for the second time: and this time you face the wall and see if you can reach the top. But no matter how hard you stretch, it's no use: the wall is far taller than you are, and even with the added height boost from the perimeter channel you're not able to reach quite that high. The front of your shirt is now soaking wet. So are your feet. You climb back off of the well-channel, your feet making *squick squick* noises as you walk.

Where else haven't I looked?, you ask yourself. You've looked at the ceiling -- or rather, the closest thing to a ceiling this room has got. You've looked at the statue's wings. What else about this room stands out? Is there anything in here which seems suspicious or out of the ordinary? Is there any place I haven't looked yet? And as you ponder these questions, in the distance you can hear the roaring of the terrible beast. You can't be certain but it has probably reached the dried-up aquachamber. You only hope that a 30-foot divide that goes down some sixty feet is enough to keep it at bay.

TheLabyrinth of KorosMeetan: You despair, hopelessly frustrated by the puzzles this maze keeps throwing at you, but some motivational chirping from Torchic gets you back on your feet looking for clues, triggers, anything that might explain why you walked all the way here just to wind up in what appears to be a dead end room. Resting your hands on the wings of the statue, you wonder if perhaps they might not be levers that can be pushed down to activate some sort of mechanical mechanism. In order to push down on them, you'd have to crawl up on the statue. But perhaps you could pull down on them? You place your hands atop the wings and give a gentle pull downward. Nothing. You pull downward again, this time a little harder. Soon you're hanging off of the wings, your legs pulled up behind you in midair, dragging down on them with all the weight of your body. Nothing. When you see that they're not budging, you give up on this and head towards the archway that led into the room. "Maybe there was some sort of inscription up there," you reckon. You go back under the archway and after taking a few steps into the hallway you turn around to face the arch. Nothing. The stones which form the arch are no more special than those which form the adjoining walls. They look weathered but sturdy and show no signs of inscriptions or levers or any other sort of clues as to what might help you in this room.

You wonder if the room really is just a dead end. But it can't be a dead end ... can it? Your thoughts turn to the water babbling over the top of the circular wall and cascading down the sides. Maybe if I follow this water back to its soruce, you speculate ... And so thinking, you climb back up onto the well for the second time: and this time you face the wall and see if you can reach the top. But no matter how hard you stretch, it's no use: the wall is far taller than you are, and even with the added height boost from the perimeter channel you're not able to reach quite that high. The front of your shirt is now soaking wet. So are your feet. You climb back off of the well-channel, your feet making *squick squick* noises as you walk.

Where else haven't I looked?, you ask yourself. You've looked at the ceiling -- or rather, the closest thing to a ceiling this room has got. You've looked at the statue's wings. What else about this room stands out? Is there anything in here which seems suspicious or out of the ordinary? Is there any place I haven't looked yet? And as you ponder these questions, in the distance you can hear the roaring of the terrible beast. You can't be certain but it has probably reached the dried-up aquachamber. You only hope that a 30-foot divide that goes down some sixty feet is enough to keep it at bay.

Pokémon in the area:
none

FFA Inventory:
x1 parchment

Alice's body gave an unpleasant jolt, and she shivered as the beast roared once more. It was gaining on her, and if she allowed it anymore time, that would be it for her. She couldn't let that happen. "There has to be something!" The girl cried, and Torchic's feathers ruffled under the stress. His trainer was looking all over, and then finally, her eyes fell onto the grooves in the floor, which went from the water circle to the statue.

"These ones don't have any water in them, but shouldn't it flow through, too?" The girl asked herself, unsure. All she could do was give it a try. It was another job for Bagon, really, and soon the trainer released him, hoping he was less tired than before.

"I'm sorry, but I need you again." The trainer said, "We don't have much time, okay? Please use your Hydro Pump to fill these up with water. If nothing happens... Then fire at that blue thing, like at the door." She pointed to the lines in the floor, and then to the statue, before moving back with Torchic, hoping that something would come to fruition.

TheLabyrinth of KorosMeetan: You look desperately around the room, hopeful for clues on how to proceed, when suddenly you notice something strange. There are stone channels in the ground all around the statue. Some of these channels, the ones along the perimeter, are filled with water pouring forth from the small waterfalls all around you. But others of them, like the four linear channels which seem to lead from the circle towards the statue, are dried up. You wonder ...

"I'm sorry, Bagon, but I need you again," you say as you take the dragon Pokémon's PokeBall and summon him before you. The little guy is still exhausted: it's been a little less than an hour since you just had him issue not one, not two, but three Hydro Pumps, and the poor thing is doubled over, hands on knees, panting heavily. "We don't have much time," you tell him. "Please use your Hydro Pump to fill these up with water. If nothing happens ... then fire at that blue thing, like at the door." Still panting, Bagon cocks his head up towards you as if to say "Are you kidding me!?" and then returns his gaze to the floor, breathingly sharply. You knew it was probably too much to ask of the little dragon Pokemon but what else can you do? You feel as though you've tried everything else. And now that you've noticed the absence of water from these four linear channels leading towards the statue, you feel certain that you're on the right track.

Bagon opens his mouth wide, makes to issue forth his fourth Hydro Pump of the day, ... and nothing comes out. The little guy is tuckered and it'll be a while before he can issue another powerful Water-based attack like this. Had he been a Water-type, maybe; and surely he could carry on for his trainer if it was something within his grasp; but the dragon is still young and inexperienced, and four Hydro Pumps in one hour is simply too much for most Pokémon to handle, let alone a tiny Bagon. He looks up at you as if to say, "I tried," before falling down onto his butt, his hands pressing down on the ground at his sides, keeping him from falling down. You were afraid this would be the outcome, and it was. What now?

While this is happening, Torchic hops into one of the dried-up channels and starts pecking at something.

What do you do?

Pokémon in the area:
none

FFA Inventory:
x1 parchment

OoC: Strictly speaking, you needed to examine the ground first. I provided the picture to help clue you in to this without making it so obvious (by detailing it in text form) that it would be patronizing or take the fun of exploration away from you, but textually your character had yet to even examine the channels on the ground until just now. That's great that you had her examine them (and it's what I wanted you to have her do), but you really shouldn't declare that they're dried-up channels (which they were, thankfully ^^; ) until I've said so. What if they hadn't been? What if in my crappy paint drawing those had been artistic patterns in the floor? Or steel beams inlaid in stone waiting to be electrified? We'd be butting heads again over what is and isn't present in your environment. I was hoping/expecting you to simply ask to examine the ground this time and then next time you'd try to interact with it once I'd explained to you what you were looking at. That you went ahead and tried something immediately on it I don't mind this time since you were right anyway, but keep this in mind going forward. Anyway, all's well that ends well. Though that poor Bagon ... ^^; (I should note, you're free to summon him again, so don't take how I've updated you here wrongly and think "Okay he's telling me to never ever summon Bagon again" ... but I think he needs at least some rest or rejuvenation one way or another. And I wouldn't expect any more Hydro Pumps out of him without something like a day's rest or some other means for restoring energy.)